Mayoral candidate says twin took place in parade

Mayoral hopeful Julian Castro acknowledged Wednesday that his twin brother took his place in a parade this week, waving at onlookers who mistook the stand-in for the candidate.

Castro told The Associated Press he had a conflicting event and didn't intend to deceive anyone when state Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, boarded the City Council barge in the city's River Parade.

"We can't help that we look like each other," said Julian Castro, a council member and leading contender for the mayor's post.

As many as 250,000 people gathered along the famous River Walk to watch the decorated barges float by on Monday night. Many mistook the state representative for the mayoral hopeful.

"When he was waving, they would say, 'Julian,' and he would say 'No, it's Joaquin,' but you can't really yell at 200,000 people along the route," Julian Castro said.

River Parade announcer Bob Guthrie told radio station WOAI, which first reported the story, that materials provided to him showed Julian Castro _ not his brother _ among passengers on the City Council float. He said he wasn't told about the replacement.

"I thought it was Julian Castro myself, as I'm sure tens of thousands of others did," said retired state appeals court judge Phil Hardberger, one of Castro's opponents.

Joaquin Castro did not immediately return a phone call to his Austin office from The Associated Press. A woman who answered said the lawmaker was in a committee meeting Wednesday afternoon.

Hardberger said he believes the parade appearance was dishonest and deceptive.

"If you're 18 years old and having a date, it might be a youthful prank when you swap out your brother, but when you're running for mayor of a city with 1.3 million people and sending in your brother as an impersonator … I do see a problem with it," Hardberger said.

Julian Castro said his brother usually accompanies him in the parade, and they are rarely mistaken for each other when together.

"Both of us were going to go, and at the end, we scheduled another meeting," Castro said. "He still wanted to go, and council members could bring family members, and I don't have a spouse."

The council member said his brother has never taken his place in more than 50 debates he has held with his opponents, which also include City Council member Carroll Schubert.

Julian Castro said the two have never stood in for one another in their official duties.

"I would never be able to fill in for him, I don't know the issues," he said.